The whisky created in 1953 for Elizabeth II's coronation won the blend trophy; Bowmore 9 Year Old took the young single malt award
Chivas Brothers' Royal Salute 21 Year Old Signature Blend won the blended Scotch whisky trophy at the 2026 IWSC (International Wine & Spirit Competition). The competition announced its spirits trophy winners on October 5: there were 24 trophies, spanning whisky, gin, rum, agave, brandy and liqueurs.
According to the IWSC, judges assessed thousands of spirits from producers around the world earlier in the year and awarded Gold and Gold Outstanding medals to the best. Then several members of the judging committee retasted the top performers to choose the trophies, the competition's highest award for a single bottle.
Royal Salute 21 received 96 points and a Gold medal, according to the American publication The Whiskey Wash. According to the publication, no blended Scotch reached Gold Outstanding this year. The IWSC judges' notes describe a layered nose of tropical fruit and polished oak, with a savory depth.
The blend was created in 1953 by Charles Julian, then master blender at Chivas Brothers, for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, according to The Whiskey Wash. Every whisky in the blend is at least 21 years old, and its core is single malts from the Strathisla distillery. It is bottled at 40% ABV and costs £105 in the United Kingdom.
Scotch took three trophies. The single malt under 20 years trophy went to Bowmore 9 Year Old, from Islay, with 98 points, according to The Whiskey Wash; the over 20 years trophy went to a 35-year-old Bunnahabhain bottled by East Asia Whisky Company. Among other whiskies, trophies went to Willett's Old Bardstown Bottled in Bond 4 Year Old bourbon; to the Irish Teeling 20 Year Old Mongolian Oak Cask; and to Taiwan's Dawu Malt, from Wan Ja Shan. The tequila trophy went to El Tesoro Reposado, and the rum trophy to Jamaica's Hampden Great House Distillery Edition 2025. The producer trophies will be announced at the ceremony on November 24.
In the Bebidário catalog, besides Royal Salute 21, there is Bowmore 12 Year Old, from the same distillery as the Islay winner. To compare with another Chivas Brothers blend, there is Chivas Regal 18 Year Old.
Sources: IWSC (October 5, 2026), The Whiskey Wash (October 9, 2026).
